Tech consultant Nima Momeni was convicted of second-degree murder for stabbing Bob Leethe founder of Cash App, to death by a San Francisco jury on Tuesday. Momeni will receive a prison sentence of 16 years to life, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said, quoted by The San Francisco Standard.
According to the prosecutors, Momeni had planned the attack after a heated disagreement involving his younger sister. They alleged that Momeni was furious with Lee for introducing his sister to a drug dealer who reportedly gave her GHB, a drug often linked to sexual assault, and assaulted her. It was also claimed that Momeni drove Lee to a secluded area under the Bay Bridge in the early hours of the morning and stabbed him three times with a knife taken from his sister’s kitchen.
CCTV footage presented in court showed Lee and Momeni leaving Lee’s hotel around 2 am and getting into Momeni’s BMW. The car was then seen heading to a dark and isolated spot. Prosecutors said Momeni left Lee behind, bleeding, as he drove away at high speed.
Momeni’s argument
Momeni’s legal team argued that the stabbing was an act of self-defense during a physical altercation. ABC news quoted Paula Canny, his lawyer, who claimed there was no premeditation, suggesting that Lee, who was intoxicated at the time, attacked Momeni in anger over a joke. Momeni testified that he teased Lee about preferring to spend his last night in town with his family rather than going to a strip club, which escalated the situation.
The jury, however, sided with the prosecution, rejecting the self-defense claim. The case has raised broader discussions around personal safety and the sometimes turbulent world of Silicon Valley.
Nima Momeni is the owner of a California-based company called Expand IT.
Who was Bob Lee?
digital wallet Cash App founder Bob Lee, a 43-year-old and highly regarded tech executive, was attacked on 4 April 2023. He was later found struggling to walk on an empty downtown San Francisco street, bleeding heavily and pleading for help. According to news agency CNN, the tech mogul was found struggling on a deserted downtown street, leaving a trail of blood and calling for help. Tragically, he died in hospital shortly afterwards.